Fire retardant guidance systems with fire extinguishing ammunition

ABSTRACT

A fire retardant/extinguishant guidance gun that propels ammunition that contains a water-based foam which explodes upon impact onto an intended target. This fire fighting system provides an added measure of safety when fighting a fire, by allowing fire fighters a greater distance from the fire, yet providing an accurate means of directing effective fire fighting materials to retard the advancement of a fire. Furthermore, the ammunition of this system obviates any direct contact with the chemicals used to generate the water-based foam. Lastly, the ammunition is environmentally friendly, by decomposing relatively quickly.

PRIORITY

[0001] This application claims priority to, and incorporates byreference in its entirety, the United States Provisional PatentApplication entitled Fire Retardant Guidance Gun, having a serial No.60/316,214, filed Aug. 31, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to fire rifle and fireammunition, and more specifically it relates to a fire retardantguidance gun for an easier and safer method of fighting uncontrolledfires. The invention allows a firefighter to position a safe distanceaway from a fire, yet target a shot of ammunition that explodes uponimpact and releases fire extinguishing foam.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It can be appreciated that there are rifles and ammunition thathave been in existence for some time. Typical use of a rifle is forlethal force in a time of siege, or for hunting game. However, anotherusage of a rifle is the recreational use of simulated war games wherethe rifle does not have lethal muzzle velocity, nor is the ammunitionlethal when in the form of a commonly known “paint ball” (U.S. Pat. Nos.5,001,880, 5,254,379, et.al.).

[0004] In either stated usage, the intention has not been to make war ona fire that is out of control and consuming forests or structure(s).Yet, this application of a rifle has not been attempted in part becausethe ammunition has not been made adequate to the task of retarding theadvance of a fire, or extinguishing a fire. Considerations for adequacyof the ammunition include having a sufficient amount of fireretardant/extinguishant for each round of ammunition fired into atargeted area, ammunition shells being biodegradable, as it is notreasonable to believe that they can be collected up from a fire ravagedarea, and ammunition that can be stored and dropped without breaking,yet break open on impact to release on a desired target fireretardant/extinguishant.

[0005] Furthermore, although rifles have been adapted to the projectingof small paint balls, without the paint balls breaking upon launch outof the bore of a rifle, nonetheless no attempts have been made to adapta rifle to have characteristics of being light weight, yet sufficientlypowered to fire a large projectile (ammunition round) containing fireretardant/extinguishant without overpowering the projectile therebycompromising the projectile upon launch out of the rifle bore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The general purpose of the present invention, which is describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new fireretardant/exstinguishant guidance gun that has many of the advantages ofrifle directed ammunition that is designed to fight Class A fires.Slight adaptations can be made to the ammunition such that theammunition can be safely and effectively be used on Class B and Class Cfires, however for brevity which is not intended to be construed aslimiting, this disclosure will confine the discussion to Class Afirefighting.

[0007] A rifle directed ammunition used to extinguish a fire, or toretard the advancement of a fire, provides a new level of safety forfirefighters, by allowing a further distance to exist between the fireand the firefighter. The ammunition is durable enough to be dropped, yetexplode upon impact with the intended target.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a fireretardant/exstinguishant guidance gun for an easier and safer method offighting forest and structure fires by propelling fire fightingmaterials from a safe distance from a fire. The rifle is alsolightweight in its design and materials, as one of its intended uses isto be carried potentially long distances in remote areas for fightinguncontrolled fires.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide aspecialized, pre-made ammunition that alleviates any direct contact by auser of the chemicals used in the ammunition. Such ammunition explodesupon impact, spreading water-based foam onto an intended target such asthe base of a flame, tree trunk, or an area designated as a fire break.This same ammunition can be stored safely, and dropped accidentallywithout breaking or exploding. The ammunition is approximately the sizeof a typical tennis ball, allowing for ease of storage and handling.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provideenvironmentally-friendly materials used in the fighting of a fire. Thisreduces the impact of cleaning up after a fire is extinguished inoutdoor remote areas.

[0011] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described below andwhich will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[0012] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction nor to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0013] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theconception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilizedas a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systemsfor carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It isimportant, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including suchequivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating several elements of apreferred embodiment of a single shot rifle designed to fire off roundsof fire retardant/extinguishant.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a schematic of an alternative embodiment single shotrifle using fluid mechanics for ammunition propulsion exclusively.

[0016]FIG. 3 is a representation of preferred embodiment of a satcheldesigned to hold fire retardant/extinguishant rounds of ammunition, andhold magazines of rounds of fire retardant/extinguishant.

[0017]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of around of ammunition.

[0018]FIG. 5 is a schematic of an alternative embodiment single shotrifle.

[0019]FIG. 6 is a front view illustration of the rifle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A preferred embodiment of a rifle used for battling forest,brush, dwelling and generally Class A fires is shown in FIG. 1. Therifle is designed to allow a firefighter, and particularly “Hot Shot”crews, to fight a fire at a safe distance from a Class A fire. This safedistance is ideally approximately ten meters.

[0021] The user first pumps the thrust spring 20 back into a “loaded”position. This pumping action is caused by the user pulling back a pumphandle 24 which is connected to a small hydraulic master/slave cylinder22 configuration such that it assists in moving the thrust spring 20back into position without the full effort normally required to compressa heavy thrust spring 20. It is desired to use a spring 20 for thrust ofthe ammunition 400, as a spring decompresses with sufficient force tolaunch the ammunition 400 a safe distance, and does this with a lessforceful initial effort than other methods of propulsion. This lessensthe initial impact to the ammunition 400, minimizing the opportunity forthe ammunition 400 to break upon initial thrust.

[0022] At this point, the chamber 30 is now opened to allow a singleround of ammunition FIG. 4:400 to be placed into the chamber 30. Theuser loads a round of ammunition 400 into a chamber 30 against thecatapult seat 34. The chamber is then enclosed with a sliding action(not shown for reasons of simplicity) such that the chamber 30 isclosed. It is desired to have the chamber 30 closed, to protect theammunition and working parts of the rifle from dirt and othercontaminants, and also to keep the ammunition from going in any otherdirection except through the barrel 60. Additionally, a closed chamber30 prevents accidental injury to the user, by keeping fingers orpersonal ornamentation out of the firing mechanism of the rifle.

[0023] The rifle is then raised to the user's shoulder, holding thepistol grip 40 with one hand, placing the butt stock 10 to the shoulderin a similar manner as one would shoot a traditional rifle. A target ofthe intended area for the fire retardant is lined up with the rear sight75 and the front sight 70. Placement of the pistol grip 40 is such thatthe rifle can be fired one handed if desired.

[0024] The trigger 50 is depressed in order to release the ammunition400 at the intended target. As the ammunition travels down the barrel60, it develops a forward spin on the ammunition. The recoil of theammunition leaving the barrel 60 is dampened somewhat by thesuppressor/compensator 65 by forcing the air blast, created by theexiting ammunition 400, to go off in several directions. Compensation isalmost an essential item for smaller build users, however minimizationof recoil from firing the rifle can be a matter of preference amongstusers. Theoretically, there is no appreciable consequence to accuracy ofthe rifle whether the suppressor/compensator 65 is attached.

[0025] A major advantage of utilizing a hydraulically assisted thrustspring mechanism is that there are no expendables that a user would haveto carry, if for example, the rifle were powered by a compressed gascylinder. However, there may be situations were the disadvantage ofusing compressed gases is minimized. For these situations, analternative embodiment exists as shown in FIG. 2. A compressed gascylinder 220 and simpler action 230 replaces the spring 20, hydraulics22, and launch mechanics 32, 34 of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1.The ammunition FIG. 4:400 comes in direct contact with the expendedcompressed gases through a port 240. Given that there is a certainamount of compressability to a gas, the initial release of high pressuregases used for propulsion is somewhat gentle and therefore minimizespotential for damage of the ammunition 400 prior to impact with theintended target.

[0026] Still another embodiment of a firefighting rifle is shown in FIG.5. Instead of a single shot rifle, an alternative embodiment can have amagazine 580 attached, such that more than one round of ammunition 400can be stored. In this embodiment, a compressed gas cylinder 220 iscontained between the stock bars 520, and utilizing a similar launchmechanism as shown in FIG. 2, except that the compressed gas is releasedinto a prechamber, with the gas being ignited to create the impulseneeded to launch the ammunition 400 out of the rifle, similarly to thepurpose of gun powder in a shotgun shell. The action and chamber 30 ofthe rifle operates similarly to a traditional rifle that has a magazineclip containing several rounds of ammunition, with a fresh round ofammunition semi-automatically being uploaded into the chamber uponfiring of a previous round of ammunition 400.

[0027] A front view of this alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 6,though the sighting system 75, 70 and the barrel 60 are essentially thesame for all embodiments. The inside diameter 61 of the barrel 60 issized to allow low friction passage of the ammunition 400 quicklythrough the barrel 60. Special machining is done to the bottom insidesurface 63 of the barrel 60 to induce a forward spin of the ammunition400 as it travels through the barrel 60. The forward spin is encouragedto improve the accuracy of a shot by reducing if not eliminating anyside rotation such as that experienced by a golfer's hook or slice. Arifle can be “sighted” (corrected) for excessive but consistent drop ina shot, but correcting for a hook or slice is much more difficult. Thecomposition of the barrel 60 is preferably composed of a high impactplastic contributing overall to a lightweight design rifle.

[0028] The barrel is composed of a high impact plastic in order togreatly reduce the amount of weight of the rifle. While the rifle can beused by urban firefighting crews to limit the spread of fires, the rifleis also intended to be used by firefighting crews in remote areas wherea fire may be raging out of control. Firefighting in remote areasentails carrying all of the tools used for firefighting to the firewhich can potentially be great distances. It is under thesecircumstances that the rifle's lightweight design, not exceeding threekilograms, can best be appreciated. The sighting system is also composedof plastic to further reduce weight, and also minimize the chance of thesighting system getting bent out of position.

[0029] Ammunition 400 is stored in a special satchel 300 as illustratedin FIG. 3. The satchel 300 is designed to hold either individual roundsof ammunition 400, or magazines of ammunition 580, or both within thesame satchel 300 should the need arise. An adjustable sling 320 isattached to the satchel 300 to allow the user to hold up to 20 rounds ofammunition 400. A flap 310 is integrated into the construction of thesatchel 300, to minimize UV light exposure to the ammunition 400. Theflap 310 covers the opening of the satchel 300 and is secured in placeto a strip of Velcro™ on a side of the satchel 300.

[0030] The cross-section of the preferred ammunition 400 is shown inFIG. 4. A round of ammunition 400 is constructed of concentric spheres.The contents of the inner sphere 440 is a mixture of water and asurfactant. This mixture 440 makes an effective foam to retard orextinguish a fire, though usually this embodiment is more to retard thespread of a fire that is out of control. Foam has been proven to be aneffective means of fighting a fire by smothering the fire of oxygen, andreducing heat. Furthermore, when used as a retardant, an advancing fireis deprived of fuel.

[0031] The outer sphere contains a stronger pH acid 420 in powder formused to react with the slightly basic water/surfactant 440 to createfoaming bubbles when the contents of the inner sphere 440 come incontact with the contents of the outer sphere 420. The outer shell 410of the round of ammunition 400 is designed to withstand an impact causedby dropping the round 400 from a distance of approximately two meters atsea level, yet break on impact caused by propulsion from a rifle at adistance of approximately ten meters. This feature provides a level ofsafety, as the user does not come in direct contact with chemicals, asis the case with some firefighting foam application methods.

[0032] Both the outer shell 410 and the inner shell 430 are composed ofa material that decomposes in the presence of UV light, something verydesirable of a round of ammunition 400 that can be used against a forestfire. The shells would be left and require cleaning up if they did notdecompose on their own.

[0033] Ideally and preferably, a round of ammunition 400 is theapproximate size of a typical tennis ball (˜6-8 cm diameter), and willcover from one/half to one square meter of area, depending upon theamount of spray created by the foaming action of the reacting chemicals440, 420 and the impact of the round 400 against the intended target.

[0034] Alternatively, a round that is closer to a typical softball insize (˜11-13 cm diameter) is better launched from a cross bow type ofdevice as opposed to the preferred embodiment of using a rifle to launcha round of ammunition 400. A rifle made larger to accommodate such alarge round of ammunition would become too heavy and unwieldy for HotShot crew members to hike for potentially long distances in order tofight a forest fire. The mass of a larger round 400 is such that it canbe best controlled and launched from a device that utilizes a sling shottype method of propulsion.

[0035] The many features and advantages of the invention are apparentfrom the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by theappended claims to cover all such features and advantages of theinvention which fall within the true spirits and scope of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occurto those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction and operation illustrated and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rifle apparatus used in combating a firecomprised of: a lightweight barrel; a two-piece sighting system; aspring-loaded ammunition launch system; and said rifle launchesammunition intended to retard and extinguish a fire.
 2. The rifleapparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said lightweight barrel iscomposed of plastic.
 3. The rifle apparatus as described in claim 1wherein said barrel has a suppressor/compensator attached to thedischarge end of the barrel.
 4. The rifle apparatus as described inclaim 1 wherein said barrel induces a forward spin on the ammunition asthe ammunition exits the barrel.
 5. The rifle apparatus as described inclaim 1 wherein said two-piece sighting system, composed of plastic, isattached to the barrel.
 6. The rifle apparatus as described in claim 1wherein said spring-loaded ammunition launch system is hydraulicallyassisted.
 7. The rifle apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein saidrifle does not exceed three kilograms.
 8. The rifle apparatus asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said ammunition is comprised of concentricspheres.
 9. The ammunition of claim 8 further comprising an innerconcentric sphere containing water and a surfactant used to combat afire.
 10. The ammunition of claim 8 further comprising an outerconcentric sphere containing an acid used to enhance the foamingproperties of an inner concentric sphere.
 11. The ammunition of claim 1further comprised of ultraviolet light degradable material.
 12. Theammunition of claim 1 further comprised of concentric spheres, theoutermost sphere diameter being in the range of six to eightcentimeters.
 13. The ammunition of claim 1 further comprised of an outersurface that can sustain an impact of being dropped a distance of up totwo meters without the outer surface being broken.